Graduated shock-absorber.



E. V. HARTFORD. GRADUATBD SHOCK ABSORBER. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 15, 1905.

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

' UNITED STATES EDWARD V. HARTFORD, OF' NEW YORK, N. Y.

enannarnn SHOCK-ABSORBER.

1 Specification of Lettefs Patent.

Patented u a, roar.

Application filed August 15, 19'05. Serial No. 274.267.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. EDWARD V. Hamvrom), .a citlzen of the United States, residing in vices of this kind have been used for retarding the action of the supporting springs of a. vehicle, and the constructions have usu ally consisted in two or more friction disks,

having a variable adjusting means for regu-' lating the tension between the disks, and which are provided with arms and pivotal connections for securing them to .the running gear and body portion of avehicle, respectively. Such ,a device is shown in U. S. Letters Patent No. 743,995, granted to J. M. M. Trufiault, Nov. 10, 1903, and while this construction is very valuable in preventing excessive Vibration and the consequent breaking of springs, I find that it can be improved upon, for the reason that when it is adjusted so as to take care of violent oscillations of the springs, it may operate stitlly when the oscillations are of smaller magnitude. Conversely, if it is adjusted for small vibrations it may not control the more violent ones properly.

My present invention has for its object the overcoming of this difliculty.

It consists broadly in providing a variable retarding means, so constructed that it otters a substantial resistance to all kinds of spring vibrations, and ,this resistance is sub stantially proportional to the amount of said vibrations, that is, the greater the vibration of the' spring, the greater will be the retarding. action of the device.

In the drawings which lllustrate one ,form of my invention, Figure 1, 1s a side elevation showing the parts in their normal position,

wherein the resistanceto movement'is at its minimum. Fig. 2, is a cross-sectional view of the same, taken on the line a=w of Fig. '1.

In its general construction, my deviceis similar to the structure of the patent above referred to, and it consists of the disks 1 and 2, the latter being provided with an arm 3 and a pivotal connection 4:, for securing it to one of the, parts of a vehicle-between which the supporting spring is interposed. The pivotal connection may 'be of any desired character, such, forinstance, as that disclosed in the patent aforesaid. The disk 2 is recessed. and a washer 5 niade of fiber or other suitable material is provided, to prevent wear on the disks. To the disk 1 is also secured an operating arm 6 which has a connection 7 similar to that upon the other arm. A bolt 8 passes through both 'disks, and. in connection with an adjusting nut 9 serves to maintain the-proper tension between the parts; and a lock nut 10 is provided for retaining the parts in the adjusted position. The disks 1 and 2-are slightly beveled, as shown, and are shown in their normal position of least friction, in Figs. 1 and 2.

It will be readilyseen that any rotation of the disksupon each other, tends to increase.

the friction between the same, for the reason that it tends to bring corresponding thick portions of the disks together, and thereby jam them. It will be obvious that the reater the -movement,. the greater will be the friction caused. and the bevel of the disks may beso proportioned as to readily compensate for the diflerent strengths of spring, and so operate uniformly to retard the same. no matter what its period or de gree of oscillation may be.

For the sake of clearness, I may explain thatvehicle springs are usually constructed of a series of fiat leaves. so arranged that they are brought consecutively into play according to the amount of strain putupon the spring; that is. but one or two leaves of the spring may be employed to resist a slight shock, but it the shockis very violent. it may bring five or six leaves into play. and thereby greatly increase the resistance of the spring.'and likewise the recoil thereof, in proportion thereto. By my present invention. it will be readily seen that not only is the retarding action provided for all these various degrees of shock and vibration, but

proportion to the strength it is provided in thereof. p

The washer, situatedv between the disks, possesses a certain amount of resiliency, which will usually be found sutl'icieut to prevent a jamming of the parts. Should a greater amount of resiliency than the washer would provide, however, be required, a spring such as is shown in my pending application Serial No. 263,307, may be interposed between the nut 9 and the disk 1..

The form shown in the drawings is obvi ously but one concrete example and embodiment of my invention, and many modifications and changes in the. structural details cle, respectively, the said members having a minimum frictional contact when they are in their normal posit on, and being so arranged that thefriction is gradually in- "creased as they are moved from said normal position in either direction, substantially as described.

2. An anti-vibration device, comprising a plurality of friction members, means for' connecting said members to the running gear and body portion of a vehicle, respectively, the members being so arranged as to have a minimum degree of friction between them when in their normal position, but said. friction, however, being increased in direct proportion to any'movement of the members from their normal position, substantially as described. v

8. An anti-vibration device, comprising a plurality of friction members adapted to rotate about a common center, adjusting means for regulating the pressure between said members, means for connecting saidmembers to the running gear and body portion of a vehicle, respectively, the said members having a normal. relative position. of minimum friction, butbeing so arranged that the friction is gradually increased by their movement in either direction from the said normall position, substantially as described.

4. An anti-vibration device, comprising a plurality of friction members having contacting surfaces of a constant and uniform area, means for connecting said. members to he running gear and body portions of a vehicle, respectively, means for adjusting the pressure between. the said members, said members being "so arranged as to have a gradually increasing friction between them as they are moved in either direction from their normal position. of minimum friction, substantially as described. a

5. An anti-vibration device, comprising a plurality of friction. members, means for connecting said members to the running gear and body portion of a vehicle, respec tively, means for adjusting the pressure between the said members, said members being so arranged as to have a normal position of minimum friction, which friction is gradually increased by any movement from such normal position, the movement of the friction members, however, being relatively small compared. with the movement of the spring supported parts of the vehicle, substantially as described.

a, 6. An anti-vibration device, comprising a plurality of friction members, means for adjusting the friction between said. members, arms secured to said members, provided with pivotal means thereon for connecting with the running gear and body portion of a vehicle, respectively, the friction members friction when they are in their normal posi tion, but which friction is gradually increased as they are moved from said normal position in either direction, substantially as described.

7. An anti-vibration device, comprising a plurality of friction members, arms secured to said members, having pivotal means thereon for connecting with the running gear and body portion, of a vehicle, respectively, the membersbeing so arranged as to have a minimum friction when they are in their normal. relative positioii, but said friction, however, being" increased. in direct proportion to any movement thereof from said position, substantially as described.

8. An anti-vibration device, comprising a plurality of friction members adapted to rotate about a common center, pivotal adjusting means for regulating the pressure be tween said members, arms secured to said members having pivotal means thereon for connecting with the running gear and body portion of a vehicle, respectively, the friction members being so arranged as to have a normal relative position of minimum friction, but which friction is gradually increased by movement in either direction from said normal position, substantially as described.

9, An anti-vibration device comprising a plurality of relatively rotary friction members having; a common axis, friction ma tcrial between the said n'iembers, arms secured to said members and adapted to conneet them to the parts of the vehicle movable relatively to each other, said members being so arranged as to have a normal relative position of minimum friction, but which friction is progressively increased by relative movement of said members in either direction from said normal position.

10. An anti-vibration device, comprising a plurality of friction disks rotatable around a common center, friction means between ,said disks, arms secured'to said disks for connecting them with the parts of a vehicle being so arranged as to have a minimum center, adjustable clamping means in? regs vehicle mova le relatively to each other, 10

disks having slightly beveled contact surnoodeee movable relativelyto each other, the said disks having beveled contact surfaces, substantially as described. 11. An anti-vibration device,comj1ising friction disks rotatable around a common lating the tension between said disks, means for connectin the disks to the parts of a friction material between said disks, the said faces, so as to afford a variable resistance to the relative movement thereof, substantially asdescribed.

12. An anti-vibration device, comprising a recessed friction disk, a second disk adapted to be seated'in said recess, friction material between said disks, means for adjustably clamping said disks in operative position, means for connectingisaiddisksto the running gear and body, portion of a vehicle, respectively, said disks having 1 slightly beveled contact surfaces, so as to afiord a variable resistance to any"relative' movement thereof, substantially as described.

13. An anti-vibration device, comprising" a recessed friction disk, a second disk adapted to beseated in said recess, a pivotal [plurality of concentricrotary friction members having friction faces, the adjacent portions of which are inclined relatively to their plane of movement, connections to the running'gear and body portion-of the vehicle respectively, the saidparts so arranged that a movement of the said parts of the vehicle relatively to each other from the normal position will progressively increase the friction between the said friction faces, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in. the presence of two subscribing witnesses. a

' EDWARD V. HARTFORD.

Witnesses: v

A. Y. HOFFMAN, J. SPENCER WEED. 

